Oregon State University Honored for Commitment to Diversity

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University has received the 2018 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

As a recipient of the annual HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — Oregon State will be featured, along with 95 other recipients, in the November 2018 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

“This is the first time OSU has applied for the HEED award and to receive this recognition on our first attempt is a tribute to the efforts of the many individuals at OSU who work every day to ensure a welcoming community for all and to create learning environments where all students can be successful,” said Charlene Alexander, vice president and chief diversity officer at Oregon State.

Over the past two years alone, Oregon State has engaged in many efforts that have helped make the university a strong candidate for the award, Alexander said.

This include: developing a university diversity strategic plan; instituting a bias response team; organizing the work of the President and Provost’s Leadership Council to review data related to students, faculty and staff recruitment and retention, and forward recommendations to the president and provost; developing a statement on the importance of diversity which has been approved by the president; and developing and launching diversity dashboards, a collection of tables that present summary information about students, faculty and staff through a diversity and equity lens; and continuing to review salary disparities.

Additionally, Oregon State has seven independent cultural resource centers, with most buildings architecturally designed to reflect the culture they represent. These are the Asian & Pacific Cultural Center, the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center, the Centro Cultural César Chávez, the Ettihad Cultural Center, the Native American Longhouse, the Pride Center and the Women's Center.

“The HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees — and best practices for both — continued leadership support for diversity, and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being accomplished every day across their campus.”